Sustainable food choices: main values and goal orientations

This paper aims to improve our understanding of more sustainable food choices – in terms of moral and health aspects of eating. The aim of sustainability may require that people in Western countries choose to eat smaller quantities of meat as well as types of meat that are produced in a more responsible way. Focusing on mediators of the relationship between universalistic values and meat choices, we examined how involvement in food can be separated into promotion-oriented and prevention-oriented motivational goals. In a survey among 1530 Dutch consumers we found that the combination of involvement and goal orientations revealed significant differences between reflection-oriented, taste-oriented, ordinary meal oriented, big meal oriented and non-involved consumers. It appeared that food choices in favour of less meat or freerange meat could be attributed to the priority of universalistic values, a specific attitude (pickiness or animal friendliness respectively), and reflection-oriented food choice motives. IVM Working Paper: IVM 06/06